Schools & Universities

COURTYARD HOUSING IN NORTH LONDON

An elegant Rubik’s Cube which extracts the maximum dividend from the site. At ground level four two-bedroom courtyard houses – two slim, two fat – interlock around a central courtyard, with cars tucked away in between.

On the first floor the fat becomes slim and the slim fat: sliding over each other, pinwheel fashion, to provide private open spaces which allow sun and light to the bedroom courtyards below. Two of the houses rise higher to provide galleried double height living spaces.

This is planning on a very high order which demonstrates rigorous attention to daylight, views and privacy – all factors that have become increasingly important in high-density urban housing. More than that it does so in a manner that provides a series of internal and external spaces which would undoubtedly be a delight to use.